'People that stick to their roots, end up being more fruitful at the end.'

Huva, hip-hop artist(scroll down to watch the film)

African immigrants in Irish hip-hop

For the course Connecting Dreams: Europe in Africa, Africa in Europe, taught at Leiden University, Ruben van Gaalen went on a ten-day trip to Dublin with a camera to interview and film three local hip-hop artists who were born in Africa, but raised in Ireland. This resulted in Fruitful Roots: African Immigrants in Irish hip-hop, a short film and accompanying essay that seek for connectivity in the expression of the self through music. Fruitful Roots is Ruben’s first film project.